OKA VANGA
LCM ARTISTS OF THE WEEK
Genre: Folk, Acoustic, Singer-Songwriter
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Discography: Pilgrim (2014), The Tales of Eyam EP (2015), Dance Of The Copper Trail (2017)
Record Label: Independent
Awards: FATEA Instrumental Album of the Year 2014
Contact: okavanga2009wa@gmail.com
Oka Vanga are Angela Meyer and William Cox, an acoustic Folk and Roots duo that combine a complex guitar playing with musical influences from around the globe. With a live set including both exciting instrumentals and songs including vocals, their music is a melting pot of melodies woven tightly together with unity and precision, and their energetic live performance is a perfect match for their intense style of acoustic music. The duo are a firm favourites here at LCM and it is also a pleasure to see Angie and Will perform live.
Both accomplished performers in their own rights, Angie and Will came together to form their unique partnership in 2008. Originally from Cape Town SA, Angie mastered acoustic freestyle, classical guitar and flamenco playing whilst making her mark on the South African music scene before moving to London to pursue her music career and form the guitar duo ‘Oka Vanga’ with Will. Will is a folk guitarist, talented multi-instrumentalist, and established guitar teacher in London.
October 2015 saw the relase of The Tales of Eyam EP. This EP saw a departure from Angie and Will's normal instrumental music as Angie adds her vocal for the first time. Angie has a lovely emotive and pure voice, which compliments their already very skilled guitar interplay. The album was inspired by their trip to the small Pennine hamlet of Eyam in 2011 and it's tragic tale of love and loss, resolution and self-sacrifice in the 17th century. It's the story of Emmatt Sydell and Rowland Torre.
'Dance Of The Copper Trail' their excellent new second studio album was released it March 2017. It's a real revelation, a marvellous watershed album for the duo. A great mix of styles with superb guitar playing, vocals and arrangements. It is an album which is going to get a lot of attention and will hopefully bring Oka Vanga to a wider audience. It certainly 'raises the bar' adding the very talented Patsy Reid (one of Scotland's finest fiddler's) and Oliver Copeland (Double Bass) into the intoxicating mix. 'The Dance Of The Copper Trail' contains overall themes of faith, superstition, love, loss, death and everlasting hope.
“Wholly engrossing – spellbinding technique, delightful expression, scintillating synergy and a world-spanning, hypnotic folk and roots vibe.” (Charlie Elland, FolkWords)
“Exceptionally brilliant guitarists…they are so in tune with each other that the rhythm and lead swap back and forth between them like a thread being woven into a complex tapestry.” (Pete Bradley, FATEA)
“I would highly recommend seeing Oka Vanga live, where the humour in some of the songs is emphasised alongside the couple’s easy banter, as well as it being an opportunity to see two world class guitarists create magic on their fretboards.” (Paul Woodgate, Eye on the Stylus)
Angie and Will also provide one-to-one guitar tuition and guitar workshops from their purpose built studio in Hertfordshire. For more info please visit http://www.parkhurstmusicstudio.co.uk/